In the early days of messaging, inventors sought to unify the user experience by using one messaging system type to access limited information about messages contained on other systems. An example of this type of integrated message service system was taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,612,416 and 4,646,346 to Emerson et al. Each of these patents generally describe a telephony system that can access a plurality of message service systems, maintain a message access status, and the ability to forward the message access status to an accessing user.
Another invention, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,798 to Cohen et al., describes a unified messaging system where voice messages, email messages, and facsimiles were all sent to a single inbox. In general, this patent teaches the use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Text to Speech (TTS) to allow compatibility with a particular device that the user decided to make the prime message receptor. More specifically, the patent describes providing for a single electronic mailbox for different types of messages.
With the innovation of Instant Messaging (IM), another issue arose in the form of many IM products using their own proprietary, and many times incompatible clients. In addition, the innovation of social media communication has exacerbated this problem. Efforts were made in the form of Adium, a free instant messaging application, and other clients that could unify chats for various messengers such as AIM, MSN/Windows Live™ Messenger, Yahoo!®, Messenger, Google Talk, Jabber, LiveJournal™, Facebook®, Bonjour, etc. These applications and clients allowed one directory of users, one window for chats, and one client to work with multiple messaging systems.
All of these innovations sought in various ways to improve communications and/or unify access to the plurality of message types and clients.